I'm Here For You
by Loqutor
Summary: Sam isn't her old self after Yamatai. For Lara, that just won't do.


A faint knock sounded on the metal door. "Sam? Can I come in?" Silence answered her. "Sam, I really need to talk to you." More silence. The door opened anyway, and Lara stepped in.

Sam Nishimura was sitting on her bed, staring blankly at a bowl of clam chowder on her nightstand, still wearing the same filthy clothes she'd been wearing for two days. She blinked when Lara entered, but didn't make a sound or look at her.

Lara sat on the mattress next to her. "Sam, you really need to eat. And you need to get out of these wretched clothes." Sam still said nothing, so Lara put an arm around her shoulders. "I'll buy you some new clothes as soon as we get to Osaka. I promise. Whatever you want, I'll buy it. Consider it a fresh start."

"I can buy my own clothes, Lara," Sam finally spoke, "My dad's richer than you, remember?"

Lara nodded slowly. "He probably is." She let out a sigh as realization set in. "Oh God...what will he do when he finds out what I dragged you into?"

"Looking for Yamatai was my idea," Sam said, "He'll be grateful for what you did for me. And he'll probably yell at me for being so quick to trust Matthias."

"Then I'll leave that part out," Lara said, patting Sam's thigh. "Come on, get something in your stomach."

Sam frowned. "I had a ration biscuit yesterday."

"All the more reason to eat now. That's not enough for you."

"Did it ever occur to you that I don't want to eat?" Sam's voice grew sour, "That maybe I want to starve?!"

"Why, Sam? Why?!"

Sam's voice cracked as she spoke, her eyes glistening. "Because I dragged everyone here, because I got Roth, Alex, and Whitman killed. They're all dead, and it's my fault...and you almost died, too. And for what? To find out my oldest known ancestor was a monster!"

"Everybody has ancestors they're not proud of," Lara reassured her, "The Croft family rose to power by putting down peasant revolts. We've only been doing archeology for a century. You are not Himiko. You're Sam Nishimura, the sweetest, smartest girl I've ever known."

Sam stared at Lara for a few seconds, then burst into tears. Lara rubbed her shoulders and soaked up her tears with her sleeve. She tightened her grip on the Japanese-American girl, coaxing her up from the bed. "Come on, let's get you cleaned off. The Captain said his shower is yours to use." Sam said nothing through her sobs, but allowed Lara to lead her to the bathroom, undress her, and get the water going. "Come on, Sam, get in the shower." Sam leaned against the wall, still sobbing. Lara sighed, realizing that she had no other choice, and removed her own clothes, guiding her friend into the tiny stall. As soon as the door closed, Sam wrapped her arms around Lara, resting her head on her shoulder and sobbing even louder. Lara shushed her, using the opportunity to run a bar of soap across Sam's back. "You'll be fine, Sam. I'm here. I'm here for you."

Sam let out a few more sobs, then calmed down. To both her surprise and Lara's, she lifted her head, passionately kissing Lara on the mouth. The English woman froze briefly before relenting, kissing back. "Lara...thank you for saving me," Sam uttered when their lips finally parted.

"I love you, Sam," Lara said. She jumped when she realized the words had left her mouth, and let go of Sam. "Er, let's get clean. That's the whole reason we came in here."

Sam nodded, and the two women nervously soaped themselves off, not making eye contact for the rest of the shower. When they finished, Lara took two towels from a nearby rack, handing one to Sam. They dried off, Lara exiting the room first. "I'll...I'll talk to you later, Sam," she said, entering a fast trot when she reached the hall.

"Yeah..." Sam picked up the spare outfit Lara had left her—a blue midriff shirt with a Union Jack on the front and a pair of cargo shorts constantly in danger of falling off, for which she was grateful that her room was right next door. Knowing that Lara would only pester her more about it when she got back, she sat on the edge of her bed and ate the disgustingly cold bowl of clam chowder, in between bites of which she spoke to her father via satellite phone.

"Moshi moshi?"

"Moshi moshi...chichi-ue."

"Samantha-chan?"

"Hai."

"Daijoubu desu-ka?"

"...wakaranai."

"Eh?"

Sam explained the ordeal to her father, sparing the more grisly and unflattering details, revealing mainly that everything they thought they knew about Himiko was a lie. Finally, when he could bear to hear no more, he cut her off. "Nande mo nai!"

"Gomennasai," Sam said, her voice cracking.

"Daijoubu desu. Hayaku, Tokyo e kaerimasu."

"Hai. Aishiteru, chichi-ue."

"Aishiteru, Samantha-chan."

A knock sounded on the door as soon as she hung up. "Come in, Lara," she said without even looking up.

Lara entered, dressed in a white tank top, navy blue boxers, and a pair of sandals. "Sorry. Didn't mean to eavesdrop."

"It's fine," Sam said, "Dad's just happy that I'm alright, and he wants me to get back to Tokyo as soon as possible." She twisted to the side, putting her legs up on her bed. "Hey, listen, about the shower...I'm sorry. I...I don't know what came over me." She looked away, her face reddening.

Lara sat on the end of the bed, as far as Sam's feet would allow her. "Don't apologize, Sam. I actually enjoyed it."

Sam looked back. "Really?"

Lara nodded. "You're a very good kisser."

"So...did you mean what you said?"

"I did. I've felt that way, ever since we were both freshmen at UCL. Especially when we were roommates. When you brought blokes back to our room...I'll admit, I got rather jealous. Not of you, of them. I just...I just never had the courage to say it, because I wanted our friendship to last." She laughed. "I know, this all sounds really stupid, but I just had to say it."

Sam crossed her legs, gesturing for Lara to scoot closer. "I really wish you woulda told me sooner, Lara. I've been with girls before."

Lara looked up hopefully. "So, did you...?"

Sam picked up Lara's hand and sighed. "No, Lara. I mean, I did think you were kinda cute, and I wouldn't have minded sleeping with you, but I didn't feel the same way." Lara dropped her head, prompting Sam to add, "At least, not back then. But when you picked me up and carried me down from the mountain, I felt so comfortable in your arms. I didn't want you to ever let go."

Lara moved her hand up to Sam's face. "Sam..."

"C'mere..." Sam shifted onto her knees, kissing Lara again. She grinned, touching their foreheads together. "Lara Croft...I'm gonna make love to you here and now."

Lara giggled. "Without even closing the door?"

"Oh!" Sam jumped up, raced over to the door and slammed it shut. When she turned back, Lara was lying on her bed, naked save a bandage on her thigh. She grinned, twirling and doing a striptease as she walked back.

"Mind the thigh," Lara said as her best friend climbed on top of her, "It's still tender."

Sam kissed Lara. "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. I once dated a paraplegic girl." With that, she planted a kiss on one of Lara's nipples, rubbing her hands against the sides of her breasts."

Lara flinched. "Oh!"

Sam grinned up at her. "What?"

"I...had no idea how good that would feel."

"Poor Lara...so busy with your studies you never had time to make yourself happy." She took the nipple into her mouth, swirling her tongue around it.

"Mmm...Sam, that's so wonderful..." Lara leaned back, smiling and closing her eyes.

Encouraged by Lara's moans, Sam moved her mouth to her cleavage. "Didn't think it'd take this long to make you unwind." Her lips moved slowly down the center of Lara's body, stopping just above her mound. A quick whiff of her nostrils told her Lara was enjoying the treatment. Still, she thought, some teasing was in order. She kissed the inside of Lara's uninjured thigh, drawing closer and closer to her center. "You have such a pretty pussy. Can't believe I never looked before."

Lara's face turned a beet red. "Sam..."

"What? You do." She reached her tongue out, flicking it through Lara's folds. "It tastes great, too." She clamped her mouth over it, sucking softly.

Lara put a hand on Sam's head, stroking her hair softly. She gasped when her clit started jumping, pressing against Sam's tongue. "Oh! Oh God! Sam!" Her legs quivered as she clutched the sheets.

Sam replaced her mouth with her fingers, grinning up at Lara. "You think that's fun? Let's try a little something else." She gently spread Lara's legs as far apart as they would go, then climbed up onto her, kissing her and aligning their breasts and sexes. "Hold on tight." She rubbed herself against Lara, slowly at first, and gradually building up speed as she sensed Lara growing accustomed to her movements. Lara moaned, softly at first, and grew louder, clutching Sam's body to hers. She shuddered, her limbs convulsing. Sam soon had her own climax, collapsing in a mewling heap on top of Lara.

When Sam came to, Lara was kissing her neck and stroking her hair. "Sam...that was wonderful."

Sam smiled. "If I'd known British girls tasted so good, I woulda made a move on you sooner."

Lara rolled her eyes, but laughed. "You're incorrigible."

Sam clutched Lara's hands. "So, have you given any thought about what you wanna do with your life?"

"A bit," Lara said, "I'm going to call up a few friends of ours from UCL and see if we can put a support team together. Then I'll pick up where my father left off...I believe Peru was his next destination."

Sam sighed wistfully. "Sounds fun."

"You know," Lara said, putting her hands on Sam's hips, "I'd be more than happy to train you. I can teach you to shoot, to jump, to climb rock faces, you name it. We've had adventures together before, so there's no reason we can't do it again."

Sam rolled off Lara, facing away. Lara rolled onto her side, putting an arm around her waist. "Sorry, Lara...I'd love to, but I can't."

"Why not?"

"It's not easy to cope with when the vengeful spirit of your ancestor tries to take over your body. I'm gonna need to see a therapist for at least a year before I can do anything risky." She put her hand on Lara's. "I'm so sorry. I want to, but I just can't. I'm not as strong as you."

Lara intertwined her fingers with Sam's. "I understand," she said. "But I promise—I'll visit you in Tokyo whenever I can."

Sam scooted back, pressing herself against Lara. "Hold me. And don't let go till we get to port."

"I'm here, Sam."


End file.
